Recent research suggests that the "act of writing itself leads to strong physical and mental health benefits, like long-term improvements in mood, stress levels and depressive symptoms." And that's regardless of the quality of the prose--its the act of writing that appears to be important.

Why is this the case? It may be about exorcising demons.

Those who wrote about traumatic, stressful or emotional events were "significantly more likely to have fewer illnesses and be less affected by trauma," and to spend less time in hospital, and to have lower blood pressure and better liver function than non-writers. They weren't dwelling on these things or bottling them up as much as non-writers, and so that stress on their systems was removed.

Promisingly, one study found that even blogging might trigger dopamine release.

17 September 2014

So the latest Facebook meme is the #bookbucketchallenge (a take-off of the Ice Bucket Challenge). You may have seen it. Perhaps one (or more) of your friends have posted the challenge on their wall:

“List 10 books that have stayed with you in some way. Don't take more than a few minutes, and don't think too hard. They do not have to be the 'right' books or great works of literature, just ones that have affected you in some way."

I'm pleased to report that based on the results of the survey that researchers Lada Adamic and Pinkesh Patel have compiled (and that you can find some helpful infographics of here) we can officially declare the ascendancy of geek culture.

That's right: the war is over. We won.

How can I say this? Well, of the Top 10 books that "stayed" with people, six of them are sci-fi or fantasy:

12 September 2014

I only met him the once, at World Fantasy 2012 here in Toronto. I was at the bar, chatting with a couple of Australian writers I know when Graham came over. He knew them both quite well, and they introduced me.

I liked Graham right away; he reminded me of a beloved professor from my undergrad days. He had a kind face, dominated by a big nose, and a great working-class accent. I seem to recall him lugging around a box of books for some reason.

He struck me as quintessentially British.

We talked a bit about writing, and a great deal about Toronto. I remember a good sense of humor, and a wonderful squinty-eyed laugh. And then he was on his way.

I'd never read anything he wrote, but I decided that I should pick up some of his work simply because he seemed like such an all-around nice bloke who'd taken the time to have a nice conversation with a nobody author 20-years his junior who happened to be sitting with a couple of guys far more successful who were his contemporaries.

Later at the annual "what we liked this year" panel that some of the major editors always do at WFC, Graham's book Some Kind of Fairy Tale kept being mentioned (indeed, it was a finalist for the World Fantasy Award the very next year) and I took it as a sign that I really did need to read it.

And there it sits still on my shelf. I bought it at the dealer's room that same day four years ago…and haven't cracked it open.

And I feel a strange guilt about that.

I'm a notoriously slow reader and I have a HUGE pile of books in my "to read" pile. But now that Graham Joyce is dead-- I dunno. I'm feeling some kind of regret that I didn't read it sooner. Maybe I would have sent him a fan letter? I dunno.

I don't pretend to have known him, and there's zero reason he would have had to recall me from our brief conversation. But I feel deeply saddened by his passing.

Having read a bit more about him this week perhaps there are reasons.

He died too young, first off. Not even sixty--in this day and age!

He began writing around the same age I am now, and published more than 20 books before he died, being awarded the British Fantasy Award an extraordinary seven times.

He died of lymphoma, leaving behind a wife and two children. With the recent birth of my second child, I confess to more than a passing fear of dying suddenly and leaving my wife all alone to raise the kids. And as someone whose family has been touched by lymphoma (though a much slower form) his diagnosis hits more than a little close to home.

It could be anyone of those reasons, I suppose, thought they all came after the fact.

Truthfully, when I heard the news I was sad because a guy I'd met once and shared a pleasant half-hour or so with passed away too young, and that doesn't seem fair.

As it happens, I'm between books right now in my alternating fiction/nonfiction/fiction cycle. So tonight, I'm going to settle into bed with Some Kind of Fairy Tale at last and remember with fondness my passing acquaintance with the talent that wrote it.

05 September 2014

I'm planning some big changes to my web presence this Autumn, not least of which is putting together a simple but proper author website with custom URL. This Blogger account has served me well, but as I plan on launching my first indie pub project later this year I think its limits have been reached. Stay tuned for further announcements!

So I was pleased this morning to find some advice from Mike Shatzkin on what exactly a proper author website should include in this day and age. His entire post (on author web presence and SEO, author branding, and marketing) is well worth the read, but here's a checklist that I plan on testing my new site against:

* List of all your books, listed chronologically and by series
* A landing page for each book, including the cover, a description, reviews, excerpts, links to retail sites and other important metadata that would help readers discover the title and decide to buy
* Contact page so readers can easily send an email and get a response
* Sign-up for an email list for future updates and marketing initiatives
* Social media buttons, so readers can easily connect and share your content via social media
* Calendar with upcoming publication dates and scheduled public appearances
* Page with links to articles and reviews by the author, as well as references to the author on blogs and in the press

In addition to these things on an author website, Shatzkin recommends that authors all should have:

02 September 2014

Proof over the weekend from an archaeological discovery in Gibraltar that the extinct hominid genus Neanderthal, a) were perhaps capable of abstract, artistic thought after all, and b) invented the hash-tag.

Stephen Kotowych

I'm a writer of fiction and freelance editor.
A Writers of the Future Grand Prize winner and Aurora Award finalist, I have a number of fiction and non-fiction publishing credits. I am a member of the Toronto-area writer's group, The Stop-Watch Gang.

"[P]oetically written, at times almost prayerful." - Fantasy Literature

"A fascinating and thought-provoking scenario...I could definitely see it expanded into a cracking good novel..." - Locus

"[B]elievable and tragic...This story develops well as a mystery and I found myself intrigued by the plot...What keeps the reader sidetracked and distracted in a clever way is the mix of futuristic science and the pre-world war history...I enjoyed the steady tension in this tale. The author captured the fear and dread imposed on a society under a government’s heavy thumb that controls every aspect of daily life." – Tangent Online

"Another gloriously wild idea...I was pleased by the audacity of the whole thing. " - Locus

"...stood out above the rest as well characterized, with a clever central idea." - Not if You Were the Last Short Story on Earth